After The Storm
by KeepSaying
Summary: "I hate what I see. I hate what you made out of me. I hate that you made me so scared to open my mouth and tell everyone." Slightly AU in which Patterson is trapped in a marriage with Robert Borden and a victim of domestic violence scared to end it. But on one of her worst nights, with Jane as emotional support, she finally opens her mouth to tell him what she really feels. OS.


**A/N:** Because Patterson is a marshmallow who is to be protected at all costs. Enjoy x

* * *

Jane sprinted down the hallway of the hospital towards the emergency room. She had gotten the call 15 minutes earlier and – having put on her leather jacket over the tank top and shorts she had slept in – had gotten here as fast as she possibly could. She was out of breath but the pain in her lungs was nothing compared to how scared she was.

This had been the third call from a hospital in the middle of the night she had gotten in two weeks. It was another hospital every time so no one would get suspicious. With every call that woke her up at night she was scared that it would be the last one. She tried to control her breathing, looking around her surroundings, trying to find the right way and someone to talk to.

Finally she had found the information and was about to rush towards it when she stopped dead in her tracks at whom she saw standing there, talking to a nurse. Jane felt her blood run cold in her veins and for just a second she stopped breathing altogether but she managed to pull herself together and once she had cleared her head, anger took over.

 _How dare he?_

How dare he come here and ask about her? He never came to the hospital when she was admitted, that being the only time she knew her friend to be safe, and she would damn well make sure that it stayed that way.

She started darting towards the information with new strength and new force.

"Don't tell him anything!" she practically yelled before she even reached the two people. The nurse looked up at her in concern and she got some annoyed looks from the rest of the personnel but she only had eyes for the man standing in front of her, shooting daggers with his eyes at her.

"Mrs…?" the nurse began.

"Weller" Jane said still breathing heavily. "Don't tell him where she is" she pleaded.

"Mrs. Weller. This is Mrs. Borden's husband and he has the right to know where his wife is."

"No" she shook her head adamantly "Please" she repeated "I am her emergency contact, you can check the form. My name is Jane Weller. Please don't tell him."

"Jane-" Robert Borden started to say something to her but she didn't listen, she cut him off.

"You can't let him visit her. I don't care if that's against hospital policy but it's important. If you can't let me to her then either, that's fine. Just, please, don't tell him where she is."

"I have a right to see my wife and I am not letting some woman with more tattoos than clear skin take that away from me!" the man surged up.

"It's not me who took this away from you" Jane shot back "You took that away from yourself when you put her here. Please" she turned towards the nurse again "Don't let him. You have to keep her safe."

"I'll have to talk to the nurse in charge" the nurse looked back and forth between the two of them "I think it might be best if the two of you would take a seat in the waiting area for now."

Jane sighed in relief and turned around towards the chairs, wandering over to the almost empty area, but not sitting down. She just stood there, leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest and watched the man sit down, glare at her, check his watch, his phone… She wouldn't let him out of her sight.

* * *

Robert Borden and Patterson had been an item for a little over 2 years now. They had met and for both of them it had been love on first sight so, after a whirlwind romance, they decided to get married after 10 months of relationship and no voiced concern from any of her friends could change Patterson's mind about that.

Slowly, Tasha and Jane had warmed up to the man who had captured their best friend's heart in the blink of an eye and they had even started to like him. He had been the perfect boyfriend, breakfast in bed, fancy dinner dates, could cook,… Patterson had been head over heels and with their friend this happy and cared for they couldn't _not_ like the man she had chosen.

After about a year of relationship and 3 months of marriage, they had had their first fight. It had been the first time Borden had slapped her. She had sported that big bruise on her face for almost two weeks until it had finally faded to a yellow mark and disappeared completely. But Jane had seen it and she knew of the force needed to give someone this sort of shiner.

They had begged their friend to talk to him about it, to break it off – if he could slap her once he could do it again, they had said – but she wouldn't listen. She had told them they had sorted it out and about how marriage was about making it work even though you fought and how nobody was perfect. She had been completely blinded by her love for this man but slowly Tasha and Jane had seen him for the person he really was.

He was horrendously jealous, he was controlling her every move and if he found something so much as a slight divergence from her usual routine, he would confront her with it – accusing her of cheating on him, of stealing his money, of whatever he could think of in that moment. He was a monster.

Of course the usually bright blonde woman didn't tell them all of it… and that made them scared for her life because what she did let on and what they saw themselves, was bad enough already. Again they pleaded for her to end the relationship and the marriage. They could see their friend fade in front of their eyes and there was nothing that they could do.

They had tried, though.

Whenever they could they would take her out on a girl's night, to keep her safe for the evening at least or do a sleep over at one of their places. They would invite themselves over for dinner to check on her and they watched her, always on the look- out for new bruises or wincing when she moved.

It had made matters worse, though. Borden had felt her slipping away, accused her of using the girl's nights as an excuse to cheat on him and the fall- out had been terrible. They wanted to shield her but they simply couldn't. They could only watch the light in their best friend's eyes grow dimmer and dimmer as the weeks passed.

And it got worse still. Had he only used violence every other month before, it had been getting more frequent now. Every other week she would sport a new bruise or even call Jane from the hospital.

She always called Jane, never Tasha, because as much as she loved both of her friends equally, she knew Tasha wouldn't be able to control herself, she would get angry – rightfully so – and in those nights she simply needed someone to hold her hand and let her cry. Jane knew that and she didn't know if she should feel good about giving her friend what she needed or bad for not making a scene like Tasha would.

It had taken Patterson almost a year after the first blow to fall out of love. And still she wouldn't get a divorce because she was still dependent on him in some sick way. Whenever Tasha and Jane brought up the topic she just shook her head, talking about all the good memories they used to make and how she couldn't just throw it all away, that she had to help _him_. That she didn't know what she would do without him.

Over the span of the last month it had reached an all- time bad and so Jane had been almost dreading going to sleep, because she was scared of another call, a worse one each time.

* * *

"Mrs. Weller?" she heard a nurse call out, it was a different one from the one she had pleaded with almost three hours ago, but there might have been a shift change already. It was almost 6 am, after all.

"That's me" she replied, taking a step forward, her voice raspy from being silent for so long.

"Mrs. Borden asked for you directly. Please follow me."

The nurse was about to turn away when behind her Borden leaped to his feet "And me? I want to see my wife!" he demanded, moving towards the woman but Jane stepped in his way, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Borden" the nurse said with a calm voice, calmer than even Jane felt in this moment, "But we think it is best if your wife and Mrs. Weller can talk first. She asked for her and she's not in the best condition so we want to keep the stress level low."

He continued ranting about how this was not okay and that he would talk to the Head of this house and that he would make her life a living hell, but they ignored him. The nurse showed her the way, telling her she had been admitted to the traumatology ward on the second floor for at least an overnight stay.

Finally, Jane reached the room and cautiously she peaked around the corner to find her friend laying in a hospital bed that looked too big for the small pale form. She seemed to practically vanish in the white sheets. Only the new bruises stood out. When she saw that the blonde was awake, she entered the room, stepping towards her bed cautiously and sitting down on the chair beside the bed.

"Hey" she whispered taking her hand, trying to blink back the tears that had started to rise. She hated seeing her friend, who was usually so strong and full of life, like this. It only got worse the more often it happened.

"Hey" Patterson replied weakly, giving her hand a small squeeze and trying to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear with the other hand that sported a white bandage, holding the venous access in place. "I'm sorry I woke you. Again."

Jane shook her head "Don't apologize. Never for that, okay?"

The blonde nodded and Jane could see her eyes glazing over and she got just a tiny bit closer to her. She couldn't do or say anything, she had already made that experience. She could only be there and hold her hand and sooth her a little.

"The nurse told me he's here" Patterson broke the silence between them "How is he doing? I hope he wasn't too much" she seemed to be looking for words but didn't seem to find any "Too much." She simply finished.

"I didn't let him go see you" Jane admitted after a while "I told the nurse to not tell him where you were. I might've mentioned that he was the one who brought you here. I'm sorry." Only she wasn't. She was sorry if her friend would have to suffer the consequences for her actions but she hoped against hope that maybe the hospital would do something.

"It's okay" Patterson tried to smile but winced in pain at the movement "They asked me about that, too. Wanted to bring in some psychologist for me to talk to and the police" she shuddered at that and Jane tightened her grip around her hand just a little.

"You should've told them the truth" she stated calmly, scared of agitating her friend in her current state but she simply nodded slowly, too tired to fight.

"I know I should've. I think… maybe I'll try to talk to someone about it.. A professional" she said "But not here. And no police.." she blinked away her tears again "It would only make it so much worse." In the end her voice was barely louder than a whisper and Jane had to lean forward to hear her.

"We can help you find someone" she replied softly "We'll be there for you whatever you need."

"I know. Thank you, Jane. I love you so much."

"And I love you."

After that they fell silent once more, Jane rubbed her thumb over the back of Patterson's hand slowly and Patterson stared at the wall in front of her, letting her eyes fall close ever so often only to open them again abruptly shortly after, disoriented.

"Today was the worst, yet" Jane heard her say quietly after almost half an hour. She stayed quiet, letting her friend talk about whatever she wanted to and in her own pace.

"I have two broken ribs and also a few bruised ones" She took a deep breath, involuntarily reaching for her left side and cringing in pain "My whole torso is blue and still a little yellow from the older bruises. My arm.." she closed her eyes but Jane could see a solitary tear rolling down her cheek "It hurts. My wrist especially. But it's not broken, thank goodness" she opened her eyes again that seemed so much bluer now, staring at Jane "And you can see my face. How am I supposed to go into work with that?" she whispered "How did I let it come to this?"

The tears were coming more frequently now and Jane moved to sit on the side of her bed, so Patterson could bury her face into her chest. She stroked her back, not saying anything, only humming one of her favorite lullabies until she had calmed down a little.

Jane just wanted to open her mouth to say something, when they heard a turmoil just outside their door and soon after the door was pulled open violently and Robert Borden stood in front of them.

"I am going to see my wife. You're not keeping me from her" he just spat out at someone outside the door before he slammed it shut again in anger, seeing Jane now for the first time. "Let me talk to her alone" he ordered.

The woman stood up from the side of the bed and took a step bed so she was standing in front of the window but a look at Patterson's face told her that she wanted her here, so she didn't move any further.

"You can talk. But I'm staying here" she stated coolly.

She could see he was in the middle of protesting when he seemed to admit defeat. _Good_ , she thought grimly, _you're not going to hurt her on my watch._

Instead Robert took a step forward and claimed Patterson's hand but she pulled it away immediately as if she had been slapped again. He breathed out heavily, glaring at her but with a quick look at Jane he managed to force a smile on his face.

"I'm so sorry, babe" he whispered, coming even closer patting the sheets where her ribs where and she winced again. Jane was about to step in when he already moved his hand away "I never wanted this to happen. You know how much I love you, don't you?"

Jane wanted to scream at him that someone who claimed he loved her wouldn't hit her, but she stayed quiet. She knew her friend had to do this on her own. She was only moral support and her guard. She just hoped Patterson would say something.

"No" it was a croaked sound that came out of her mouth and she seemed to be just as surprised at it as Jane and Robert.

"What, sweetie?" he said tenderly stroking her head but she shook it. "You're confused. It's the pain meds they're giving you."

"No" Patterson repeated more forcefully this time "My mind a lot clearer now than it had been in the past two years" she spat out "You shouldn't have come here tonight. You should have stayed outside or at home or _somewhere not here._ I would've lost all courage once I'm at home again. Once we're alone again" her gaze found Jane's, looking for something and obviously she found it because she continued.

"I didn't want to listen to everyone telling me that we got married too fast and when you started.." she broke off, tears in her eyes "When you started hitting me.. I told them that it was just a one- time thing and that you wouldn't do it again and then you _did_!"

Her blue eyes were glazing and looking accusingly up at him with more force than Jane had seen her display in months.

She pushed down her blanket and ripped open the hospital gown, showing off her bruises, letting him stare at her half naked form "You did this to me" she choked out before covering herself back up "And the worst thing…" with a trembling hand she clutched the blanket closer to her chest "The worst thing is that I let you… I didn't do anything to stop you because I _loved you_."

"I loved you so much" she repeated slowly moving away from him as far as the bed would allow "But you.. you don't love me. I didn't want to see it at first but-" she shook her head blinking away the tears that were cloaking her view "If you had ever loved me you would have never done what you did" she whispered at last "I don't want to see you ever again."

"Babe" Robert took another step towards her, raising his hand but dropping it back down to his side when he saw her flinch at the sight of it "You're just confused. You're so tired, you need to rest. We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?"

"No. Nonono" she practically yelled at him "I _am_ tired and I need to rest. But I'm not confused. I'm hurting all over and every movement makes me almost cry out in pain and it reminds me of you because this is your fault. It is your fault I'm in this bed. It's your fault that most of my body is a variety of colors that no healthy body should have. It's your fault that I can't even look at myself in the mirror because I hate-" she broke off into a sob "I _hate_ what I see. I hate what you made out of me. I hate that you made me so scared to open my mouth and tell everyone. But I'm opening it now" she glared at him, her tear stained cheeks underlining the hatred in her eyes.

"Leave now" she said quietly "and I won't call the police. I won't make a scene here in this hospital because I am too tired. But I am getting a divorce" she almost gagged at the word but when she repeated it she felt so much more powerful than she had in so long "I'm getting a divorce. And I'm never going to be seeing you again."

"Patty.."

"GO!" she screamed and leaned forward to push at his chest. Completely taken aback he stumbled backwards, taking hold of the bed frame.

"We're not done yet" he spit at her and wanted to say something else when Jane stepped forward, positioning herself between her best friend and her husband.

"Yes, you are done" she said quietly, dangerously "Leave. Now."

Once he was gone she could hear Patterson's loud sobs more clearly and she took her into her arms, swaying her gently, rubbing her back and whispering "It's going to be okay" until she felt her voice break at the words. After half an hour the sobs subsided and the blonde's breathing evened out. Jane kept her in her embrace but moved her to lay her head down on the pillow gently and after another ten minutes she was asleep.

Jane watched her for the next hour, stroking her head, until the nurse kicked her out of her room. But she told them who to not let in, telling them that she would be back. She left Patterson a note, telling her that she should rest and she would take care of everything else.

When she stepped out of the room she called her husband first, telling him she was fine and that he shouldn't worry, that Patterson was fine as well and that everything was going to be okay. Hearing his voice was balm for her soul after a night like this and when he promised her to speak to a lawyer, specialized on divorce who he knew from an old case, she thanked the gods for this man.

Her second call was much less soothing. She called Tasha and told her everything that had happened and she heard her friend scream and cry into the phone until she finally calmed down, telling her that she would be over in an hour, that she would take the day off of work to check on Patterson and to help Jane move their friend's stuff out of her apartment with Borden.

* * *

Patterson had to stay in the hospital for another five days because they frequently checked her lungs for injuries that could be caused by the broken ribs but thankfully, they had already started healing.

All the time she spent in that room, she was never alone for very long. Jane and Tasha sat by her side whenever they could and when they couldn't, Reade and Kurt would come visit her as well, taking her mind off of all the awful things she would have to do once she got out of the hospital.

The lawyer Kurt had called, paid her a visit on her second day, bringing all important documents and forms with him, including a restraining order for Robert Borden so he wouldn't be able to get close to her.

Things really started to look up and she already felt better, but the nights were still the worst time of the day. She had nightmares and when she didn't, she still cried herself to sleep because everything in her life was changing and she felt like it would never be over.

On her last day, though, she got a roommate.

David Wagner was his name and he came in with a broken leg. When she asked him how that had happened he blushed and hid behind a book before explaining that he fell down a flight of stairs while he was solving a crossword puzzle.

At his embarrassed little laugh she had laughed, too, for the first time in at least a month. It had hurt in her chest and in her throat and she had tears in her eyes when she had finally calmed down but she had never felt this good before and she enjoyed every second of it. They got to know each other over her long lost love for all sorts of puzzles and board games.

When he asked her why she was here, she said she fell down the stairs as well and she could see in his eyes that he didn't believe her but he never asked again. She was glad for that.

After she had been released, she still came back every day for the next two weeks to visit him and slowly she got her laughs and her strength back. So much so, that after those two weeks she had hope – for the first time in a year – that things might still get better for her.


End file.
